Morgana Lefay: Aberrations of their minds

17 years since their debut and counting, Morgana Lefay made their way to metalfan.ro. But it was no easy ride for them, twice disbanded and left for dead, then resurrected with renewed strength and attitude (and line-up) each time. 2007 sees founding members Tony (guit) and Chulle (voc) and their new bandmates looking more confident than ever, as their latest release, Aberrations of the Mind, seems to be their strongest effort since the critically acclaimed Maleficium (1996). We asked the new drummer Pelle for some more Aberrations of his mind. Vocalist Chulle couldn't stay aside and gave us some of his, too.

Klawz: Hello guys, how are you? What are you up to these days?
Pelle: Hi! We have just returned from a ten-day tour in Europe. Things are finally starting to calm down a bit. The last 7-8 months we have been busy with the making of “Aberrations of the mind” and everything that comes along with it. Booklets, merchandise, photo sessions and stuff.

Klawz: You’ve first entered the studios in August and you finished recording in January, is this the band’s usual work time for a record?
Pelle: Actually, we finished the album in November, so the recording took about 70 days to complete. This was my first recording with the band so I can’t really tell if it’s the common time spent recording an album. But since it was pretty much the time we planned to use from the start, it can’t be that far away from previous records.

Klawz: You invited your fans to chat with you on messenger while you were in the studio. How did those conversations go?
Pelle: It was great! When you were bored you could always chat with the fans or just watch them chat with each other. People asked us alot of questions about the new album and the songs we were recording. And as we are a bunch of idiots we replied with a lot of bullshit... hahaha

Sake: The title of your new record is Aberrations of the Mind. Is it a concept album? Can you give us some details about the subject of the lyrics?
Pelle: It’s not a concept album in the true meaning of the word, but all lyrics deal with what’s going on in a persons mind. Anger, love, hate, insanity, whatever.

Klawz: The initial title was Primal Chaos. What made you change your mind about it, did you make changes to the concept while you were recording the album?
Pelle: No, the concept was the same from the beginning. Primal chaos just didn’t feel right after a while. For some reason we had a real hard time to find a name for the album but in the end Aberrations of the mind felt right.

Sake: Another question also linked to the initial name of your next album: how do you feel about God?
Pelle: Time is God! Hahaha! I can only speak for myself and I don’t belive in God.

Sake: Morgana Lefay is known as a band that avoids repeating itself, at least musically. What are the major differences between Aberrations of the Mind and Grand Materia?
Pelle: I think songwise Aberrations of the mind isn’t that far from Grand materia. It’s more like a natural progress. Soundwise I think it is more rough and raw. We were looking for attitude rather than perfection. Not that many overdubs and more “in your face”.

Klawz: There are some songs (The Rush of Possession, Caught in the Tread Wheel) that ingeniously combine your trademark groovy riffs with highly catchy choruses, is this the new Morgana Lefay sound you wanted to achieve?
Pelle: Actually we didn’t plan anything when we wrote the songs. We just wrote stuff that we liked and Aberrations is the result. I think that’s the only way to do it. We never say that “we should sound like this or that”, we just go with our gut feeling. If we like it, we record it. It’s as simple as that.

Klawz: The album also features a strong thrash metal vibe, is there a chance that the recent comeback of the genre (new records by Exodus, Onslaught, Holy Moses, Destruction) has inspired you in that respect?
Pelle: That’s possible. You always get inspired by things you like. We all have a history in thrash metal so I think it’s there naturally.

Charles "Chulle" Rytkönen

Klawz: Charles puts up an impressive and dramatic vocal performance on the title track, did he have a hard time putting it together and recording it? I guess you all had a great laugh while he was doing it…
Pelle: The thing was that when he wrote the lyrics and recorded the pre-production there was this band rehearsing next door with their door open. He got really pissed and was furious when he recorded it. When he got to the studio he didn’t think he was going to make it but what you hear on the album is actually the first take. He nailed it! We laughed like crazy but it was perfect for the song. Hahaha! We finally got something good out of the fact that he is crazy... hahaha!

Klawz: Besides Charles, there is another vocalist to be heard on some of the songs of the new records. Who is he and how did he get to sing on the new album?

Pelle: There are actually three more singers besides Charles. Both Peter and Fredrik are doing some growl lead vocals and I am the one sounding like a little girl... hahaha! We all thought that when we have all these people that can sing (well, sing is maby not the word for it...), why not use it?

Klawz: How did you meet your new drummer, Pelle, and how do you think his input has affected the new songs?
Chulle: We knew him since earlier. And when it was a fact that we needed a new drummer we asked him. Pelles style is different from Robins and we think that affects the songs in a way. He also does some backing vocals. Something that would have been impossible for Robin. Pelle is also a man that comes with ideas and for the first time in years we are five people that sit down doing brainstorming.

Sake: Since the release of the last Lefay album and the comeback as Morgana Lefay there has been a certain hiatus. There is not much information about what happened, how close to disbanding was this band?
Chulle: I think there is a bunchload of info about that. We have answered that question so many times! We took a long vacation, came back, and here we are, hahaha.

Sake: Was it difficult to stay away from the fans? What did you do all this time you have been away from the stage?
Chulle: Yes and no. I spend my time fishing. Hahaha!

Sake: I know that in the past you’ve encountered some problems with Black Mark and there were certain rumors saying that you were going to sign for another record label. None of those came true in the end. How is your relationship with Black Mark right now?
Chulle: Good!

Klawz: Did you or did you not release an album called Morgana Lefay back in 1999? It is not listed it in your discography on your website, but it appears in the Black Mark catalogue and on other sites on the net.
Chulle: We have never ever released such an album! Former members did something. But I’ve never listened to it. The only Morgana Lefay albums there is are the ones listed on our official homepage!

Klawz: Was the feedback for Grand Materia the one you’ve been expecting to get from the media and fans? And for Aberrations of the Mind?
Chulle: The feedback on Grand Materia was good. It’s still too early to tell about Aberrations of the mind.

Klawz: Did you go on tour to promote Grand Materia? If yes, how was the tour, how was the crowd’s feedback to the songs and how did this feedback influence the writing process for Aberrations of the mind?
Chulle: Yes, it was a good tour. The crowd was great (as always) and their feedback was very good. But it did not influence us in the songwriting for Aberrations...

Pelle Åkerlind

Sake: Do you care about the way the media labels your music? Does it bother you at all? If you’d have to label Morgana Lefay’s music in a few words how would you describe it?
Pelle: Well, if they would call it disco or something we would have to kick their ass... Hahaha! Other than that we don’t care. Let people listen to it and label it themselves. If I have to label it myself I’d simply call it “metal”. We have too many influences to narrow that label down.

Sake: I have been following your band from the very beginning and I know that you always pay attention to the lyrical concept of your albums. How do you choose your sources of inspiration/information? Do you have to trust them? Were there situations when you used sources that you weren’t sure of?
Chulle: Inspiration and information comes from many different things. I read a lot, I think a lot and I wonder a lot. I have my own beliefs concerning certain matters and my sources are 100% bullet proof.... or maybe not...hahaha. One doesn’t have to be sure about everything. Dreams and fantasies for an example!

Klawz: One of the themes that frequently appear in your lyrics is alchemy, the secret knowledge, the search of the truth. What does alchemy mean to you, have you taken a serious interest in the subject or is it just some stuff to write cool lyrics about?
Chulle: I’m seriously interested in these matters. To write only “cool stuff” would really bore me to death!

Klawz: How is life in a metal band? Does it often get depressing like the last song on your new record describes it (Over and over again)? What are the ups and downs of it?
Pelle: I think life in a metal band is not that different from any other life. Of course you can end up in situations that is not that common. It’s not that likely that a baker finds himself in a smelly tour bus with ten snoring guys in the middle of nowhere... hahaha. I think that Over and over again is about the fact that a tour isn’t all about “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll”. It’s also about waiting at airports, broken cars and busses, smelly people in a tight space. The ups are that you get to experience a lot of stuff you normally wouldn’t do. You get to visit cool places and do what you love the most, which is performing in front of a crowd. The downside is that sometimes you are away from home for a long time and you miss kicking back in the sofa and watch a movie or hang out with your friends and families.

Klawz: Why is it so difficult to get an interview with you guys?
Pelle: I really hope that is isn’t. Like I said earlier we have been really busy for the last 7-8 months but now the album is out and we have more time to do interviews.

Klawz: Any final Aberrations of your mind you would like to share with your Romanian fans?
Pelle: Just a big thanx for supporting us and we hope that we can visit you soon and kick some butt! Hahaha!